Arabic Oud Icon Seeks to 'Change Soul' of Iraq

Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma plays the oud during rehearsals at the Iraqi National Theater in Baghdad on January 17, 2022. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma plays the oud during rehearsals at the Iraqi National Theater in Baghdad on January 17, 2022. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
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Arabic Oud Icon Seeks to 'Change Soul' of Iraq

Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma plays the oud during rehearsals at the Iraqi National Theater in Baghdad on January 17, 2022. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma plays the oud during rehearsals at the Iraqi National Theater in Baghdad on January 17, 2022. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Long uprooted from his native Iraq, Naseer Shamma, an icon of the Arabic oud, has returned home to help rekindle the flame of Iraqi music, snuffed out by decades of conflict.

"When you are in your own country, you feel very high emotions with the audience," the master string player said in an interview with AFP.

At nearly 60, the virtuoso who studied under late Iraqi oud legend Munir Bashir still appears in awe of his instrument, as well as those that accompany it.

"All those instruments are Iraqi -- you have the santur for example. Each one is from 2000 BC," he said at the national theatre orchestra packed with Iraqi instruments.

"They are very historic instruments and the sound is a very special sound."

Speaking between rehearsals, he added: "There is nostalgia here, with friends. I studied in Baghdad for six years and I always feel more comfortable when I play here."

But such nights in Baghdad have become more of an exception than the rule for Shamma, a native of Kut, in the country's southeast.

Exiled in 1993 under Saddam Hussein, he only returned to Iraq for the first time in 2012.

In the interim, he spent time in Cairo, as well as launching schools of Arabic oud across the Middle East, before settling in Berlin, where he lives now.

Aside from his musical mission, his latest Baghdad performances come with another purpose.

"Now we're playing to help education. My new project is called 'education first'. We need to help Iraqi schools," Shamma said.

As UNICEF has pointed out, "decades of conflict and under-investment in Iraq have destroyed what used to be the best education system in the region and severely curtailed Iraqi children's access to quality learning".

From the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s to the subsequent international embargoes, the 2003 US-led invasion and the later ISIS takeover, Iraq has struggled to emerge from bloody turmoil.

"And of course, three or four generations paid the price of this," Shamma said.

Despite the sluggish pace of Iraq's recovery and the political disputes that always threaten to erupt into new violence, the musician is hopeful for change.

"We hope that music... will change the soul of people," he said.

While Iraq is still far from its cultural heyday of the 1970s and 80s, it has recently seen a fledgling renaissance, with art galleries opening and book fairs and festivals being held.

"We need to close the bad past and start again a new life with a new memory and a new vision for the future," Shamma said.



Heatstroke Alerts Issued in Japan as Temperatures Surge 

A person visits Horikiri Iris Garden in Tokyo where temperatures reached into the mid-30s Centigrade (90F+) on June 18, 2025. (AFP)
A person visits Horikiri Iris Garden in Tokyo where temperatures reached into the mid-30s Centigrade (90F+) on June 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Heatstroke Alerts Issued in Japan as Temperatures Surge 

A person visits Horikiri Iris Garden in Tokyo where temperatures reached into the mid-30s Centigrade (90F+) on June 18, 2025. (AFP)
A person visits Horikiri Iris Garden in Tokyo where temperatures reached into the mid-30s Centigrade (90F+) on June 18, 2025. (AFP)

Sweltering temperatures prompted heatstroke alerts in multiple Japanese regions on Wednesday, with dozens of people seeking emergency medical care in the capital Tokyo.

The hot weather was headline news in the country, which last year experienced its joint warmest summer ever as climate change fueled extreme heatwaves around the globe.

Record temperatures were logged in 14 cities for June, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, while in central Tokyo the mercury hit 34.4 degrees Celsius (94 Fahrenheit).

Doctors treated at least 57 people for heat-related malaise in the capital on Wednesday, adding to the 169 people seen on Tuesday.

At least three heat-related deaths were reported in other parts of the country this week.

Some Tokyo residents wore heat-repellent clothing to beat the high temperatures, like Junko Kobayashi, 73, who showed AFP her cooling scarf.

"I soak it in water and then wrap it around my neck. It feels refreshing. And I use this umbrella too. It blocks the light and heat so it feels cooler," she said.

Other elderly residents said they were trying to take it easy so as not to risk heatstroke, while 80-year-old Naoki Ito said he was making sure to regularly drink water.

"I don't need to take a big gulp, just a small sip here and there. It's important to remember that," Ito said.

Every summer, Japanese officials urge the public, especially elderly people, to seek shelter in air-conditioned rooms to avoid heatstroke.

Senior citizens made up more than 80 percent of heat-related deaths in the past five years.

Japan is also experiencing a record influx of tourists, with foreign visitors up 21 percent year-on-year in May.

"It's been pretty stinking," said 31-year-old Australian tourist Jack Budd, who was trying to find shade whenever possible with his travel partner.

"The breeze is quite warm so it's hard to get out of it unless you go inside," he said.